Deriving the full utility of a countertop, while at the same time enjoying the countertop appearance, is not always easy. Many countertop types that are popular today, for example the natural stone (granite or marble) countertop, the chic utilitarian concrete countertop, the tile countertop and the recycled glass countertop have a Brinell Hardness Number in excess of 500 and may therefore be classified as super hard surfaces. Also, in this category are engineered stone materials, such as those available under the trademarks Zodiaq® by Dupont®, Viatera® by LG and Eco® by Cosentino®.
Another category of materials commonly used for countertops is defined as having hard surfaces. Examples of materials in this category are laminates such as Formica® and Wilson Art®, and solid surfaces such as Corian®, HI-MACS®, glass, etc.
The above stated surfaces are subject to being easily deformed, such as scratched, abraded, scuffed, scorched, etc., when hard utensils are improperly placed on the surface or through normal wear. Additionally, the super hard surfaces do not appreciably yield to an applied force, for example when a kitchen user places a ceramic dish or glass drinking vessel on the countertop. Not only is there an unpleasant “clack” sound, but the user may perceive an unpleasant physical shock or jolt to the arm, due to the un-buffered contact of dish and countertop. This jolt, and the awareness of potential damage to dish or glass drinking vessel, may slow down the user in placing dishes on the countertop, when for example, unloading a dishwasher.
Also, those wishing to use the countertop as a surface on which to place a pot, pan, dishware or bakeware that is in the process of being cleaned by scrubbing, may find that there is an unpleasant grating noise caused by friction between the bakeware and the super hard countertop surface.
Accordingly, those wishing to get full and convenient use of a countertop, while still enjoying the countertop's elegant appearance, do not currently have a good option for achieving these objectives.
The term “countertop” as used herein is not limited to a kitchen environment, but includes any conceivable workspace with a top surface needing protection.